Machine for the printing of positive bichromate films



Dec. 5,' 1933. DE LESSEPS 1,937,814

MACHINE FOR THE PRINTING 0F POSITIVE BICHROMATE FILMS Filed D60. 7. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fly. 4

/Vl f/VMA FfRD/NA/YD .05 45.555 5 MACHINE FOR THE PRINTING OF POSITIVE BICHROMATE FILMS Filed Dec. 7, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIII III II I//// III! MACHINE FOR THE PRINTING 0F POSITIVE BICHROMATE FILMS F'. DE LESSEPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 7, 1931 I E i DecI'S, TQ F. DE LES SEPS 1,937,314

MACHINE FOR THE PRINTING OF POSITIVE BICHROMATE FILMS Filed Dec. 7, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ffflpwmvp 051555525 Patented Dec. 5, 1933 MACHINE FOR THE PRINTING F POSITIVE BICHROMATE FILMS Ferdinand de Leaaeps, Paris, France Application December 7, 1931, Serial No. 579,414, and in France January 30, 1931 1 Claim. (01. 95-75) v The present invention has for its object a machine for printing positive bichromate films. The bichromate film, being much less sensitive than the silver bromide film, must have every part exposed to rays from a strong source of light for a period of the order of ten minutes. It is not practicable, as in the printing of bromide films, to pass the images one after another in front of a luminous source; the operation performed in this way would take too long.

-It is therefore necessary to expose considerable lengths of film simultaneously. The machine, according to the invention, is made for the purpose of printing bichromate films of great length, for example, 360 metres, this printing being performed preferably using the band compensating the different hardnesses of the images of the negative in the ,different sections, which is the subject of my co-pending patent application No. 579,415, filed December 7, 1931. It comprises a drum, preferably of aluminium, on which are rolled in super-position the positive, the negative, and a compensating band. The drum is made to revolve in front of an illuminating device which is exterior to it, and whose rays fall normally onto its surface.

A form of machine according to the invention is shown upon the accompanying drawings whereof Fig. 1 and Fig. 1a show, respectively, the two halves of the machine part in plan, part in horizontal section through the axis of the drum.

Fig. 2 is a section on'the line A--B of Fig. 1, certain parts being omitted for clarity.

Fig. 3 shows in detail the device for the production of the to and fro motion of the drum.

Fig. 4 is a section on line CD of Fig. 1.

The printing machine is composed of a drum 1, of which the axle 2, .3, is mounted in the bearings 4, 5, in a manner permitting of longitudinal oscillation.

The illuminating device consists of a number of lamps 6, (Fig. 2) placed in front of a reflecting mirror 7and supported, for example, by the cheeks 8, 9. A row of reflecting parallel equidistant plates 10, are placed perpendicular to the axis of the drum between the reflecting mirror and the drum. They are assembled and supported by the horizontal rods 11, 12, which traverse openings in these plates and which are mounted in the vertical supports 13, 14, which serve also to support the reflecting surface. Distance'pieces 15 mounted on the supports 11 and 12 between the plates 10 maintain the latter at equal distances.

In order for all parts of the film to be equally illuminated during the exposure, the drum is given a to and fro movement in the longitudinal sense. To this end, the axis 3 carries a cam 16, (Fig. 3) of suitable profile, which the spring 17 (Fig. 1) which bears on the bearing 4 and the abutment 18, presses permanently against the roller 19. This roller is mounted at the end of the lever 20 mounted in the support 21, so that it pivots about the horizontal axle 22. A pin 55 23 placed in corresponding holes in the lever 20 i and the support 21 holds the lever 20 in operative position. When this pin is removed, the spring 24 displaces the lever 20 in such a way that the roller 19 is withdrawn from contact 7 with the cam 16. During the exposure, the roller 19 being in operative position, the drum is engaged by a first-motor through the intermediary of the pulley 26. r

The device for rolling the films and band on the drum comprises a carriage 27, which moves on a frame fitted parallel to the axis of the drum, and proportionately to the number of revolutions of the 'latter. The carriage is composed of two side members 28, 29 (Fig. 4) suitably supported, and mounted each on a threaded sleeve (respectively 30, 31) by means of two screwnuts (respectively 32, 33 and 34, 35).

These two sleeves have each an interior thread engaging a corresponding thread formed 35 on the shaft 36. The carriage carries spools 37, 38, 39 (Fig. 2) on which the positive, the negative and the compensating coloured band are respectively rolled. The carriage carries the guiding spools 40, which serve to guide the films 0 during. rolling. The rotation of the spools during rolling or unrolling of the film on the drum is accomplished with the aid of a combination of wheels and chains, of which the principal 41 (Fig. 4) can move longitudinally on the shaft 36 without being able to turn relatively to it, so that it is carried round in its rotation; of which two others 42, 43 are keyed on the axle of the spool 39; of which two others 44, 45 are keyed on the" axle of the spool 38, and of which one other 46 is keyed on the axle of the spool 37. The wheels are connected in the following way. The wheels 41, 42 mesh with each other. A chain connects the wheels 43, 45, and another chain connects the wheels 44, 46.

The sleeve 47, fixed by the arms 48, 49 respectively to the uprights 28, 29 of the carriage, is traversed by the bar 50, carried by the frame by means of the uprights 51, 52. The threaded rod 36 is mounted in the trun- 110 nions 53, .54 of the, frame and is connected to a pulley 55 by means of which it may be driven by a second motor. As it is fixed further away, it is this motor which will be used for. the rolling or unrolling of the films. A sprocket wheel 56 is mounted free ,on the shaft 36; it can be made to engage with this shaft by means of a clutching mechanism represented diagrammatically by 58. A corresponding sprocket wheel 59 is fixed to the shaft 2.

The shaft 3 carries a flange or collar 60 which bears on the bearing 5, when the roller 19 is removed from the cam 16, that is to say, during the period of rolling or unrolling the film.

The different mechanical constituents are supported by the supports 61 and 62 which are preferably braced together.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

For rolling, the carriage 2'7 is displaced in such a way that the rolling spools come opposite to each other on the left hand side of the drum 1; then sufiicient lengths of the positive 63 (Fig. 2), of the negative 64, and of the compensating band 65 are unrolled; the united ends of these three films are passed over the roller guide 40, next they are fixed on the drum 1 by means .of any known appropriate mechanism. The roller 19 being placed out of contact with the cam 16, the sprocket wheel 56 is engaged and the second motor is started in the appropriate direction, the shaft 36 and the drum 1 are engaged by the second motor so that the film rolls onto the drum 1, whilst the carriage 27 is displaced towards the right proportionately to the number of turns effected by the drum and in proportion to a length equal to the size small to and fro longitudinal movement of which the amplitude/is chosen equal to the size of the film. When the exposure has lasted a suflicient time the illumination and the first motor are stopped and the unrolling is commenced in the opposite sense to the rolling described above. For this it naturally sufflces to reverse the current of the second motor.

It is seen that in the rolling and unr'olling of the film, the rotation of the spools 37, 38, 39 at a suitable speed is obtained by means of the sprocket wheels 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46.

The pull produced by the rotation of the drum 1 alone could be equally utilized in the rolling on, the spools 37, 38, 39 being mounted free on their axle supports fixed in the carriage and provided with an appropriate braking mechamsm.

Theparallel reflecting plates 10 could be completed by a system of reflecting plates perpendicular to these and of which the plane would pass through the axis of the drum. Thus a more precise means of directing the light normally onto the surface of the drum would, be realized.

I claim: In a machine for printing bichromatic moving picture films, a horizontal metal drum, means for putting said drum in rotatory motion, means for imparting, to said drum a reciprocating motion, a lighting device arranged at the exterior of said drum and at one side thereof, comprising a set of parallel horizontal lamps, a reflecting mirror and a series of parallel equidistant plates arranged perpendieularly to the axis of said drum, mounted between said lamps and said drum, a device located at the exterior of said drum on the opposite side for winding the films onto and winding same cfi the said drum, comprising a threaded shaft parallel with the axis of said d'rum, a screw-carriage movable on said threaded shaft, a series of spools carrying the films, mounted on said carriage, clutch members connecting said threaded shaft and said drum and means ,for rotating said threaded shaft.

FERDINAND on LESSEPS. 

